NHL Cancels First Two Weeks

The NHL lockout took a disastrous step forward today, as the league canceled the first two weeks of the regular season, erasing 82 games and revenue of several hundred million dollars.

The cancellation includes five Blue Jackets’ games, including two in Nationwide Arena – Oct. 19 vs. Vancouver and Oct. 23 vs. Detroit.

“None of us wanted to reach this point,” Blue Jackets winger R.J. Umberger said, “but I think we all expected it with there being so little progress the last few weeks.

“I’m definitely upset. It’s time to play hockey. I’m angry that it doesn’t get done. It seems like the NHL is not willing to negotiate or compromise in anyway to help get a deal done. That’s where the frustration comes in for me.”

The NHL Players’ Association is unwilling to accept any proposal that calls for them to take an immediate pay cut. Why should they, they say, in a league whose revenues have soared from $2.1 billion to $3.3 billion over the previous seven seasons?

NHL owners, meanwhile, believe the 57 percent cut of revenues that goes to players is too big. They note that the NBA pays roughly 50 percent to its players.

Each side’s unwillingness to budge harkens to 2004-05, when a bitter lockout led to the cancellation of the entire season. The league canceled games in two-week increments in the early stages of that lockout, too, before the entire season was canceled by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Feb. 16, 2005.

“We’re on Bettman time,” said Blue Jackets defenseman Adrian Aucoin, a member of the NHLPA’s negotiating committee. “Guys almost counted on it going down this way. It’s pretty pathetic, really.

“It’s them canceling the games. It’s them locking us out. It feels like this has been the strategy from Day 1. Not to negotiate, but to go right to the lockout, the hard-line stuff.”

The NHL said it was "extremely disappointment" to make today's anouncement.

"The game deserves better, the fans deserve better and the people who derive income from their connection to the NHL deserve better," deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. "We remain committed to doing everything in our power to forge an agreement that is fair to the players, fair to the teams and good for our fans.

“This is not about ‘winning’ or ‘losing’ a negotiation. This is about finding a solution that preserves the long-term health and stability of the League and the game. We are committed to getting this done.”

“The decision to cancel the first two weeks of the NHL season is the unilateral choice of the NHL owners,” Fehr’s statement read. “If the owners truly cared about the game and the fans, they would lift the lockout and allow the season to begin on time while negotiations continue. A lockout should be the last resort in bargaining, not the strategy of first resort.

“For nearly 20 years, the owners have elected to lock-out the players in an effort to secure massive concessions. Nevertheless, the players remain committed to playing hockey while the parties work to reach a deal that is fair for both sides. We hope we will soon have a willing negotiating partner.”

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